紫雨 (1984)

Purple Rain is the sixth studio album by the American musician Prince, featuring his backing band the Revolution. It was released on June 25, 1984, through Warner Bros. Records as the soundtrack album to the 1984 film of the same name. Purple Rain was musically denser than Prince's previous albums, emphasizing full band performances, and multiple layers of guitars, keyboards, electronic synthesizer effects, drum machines, and other instruments. Much of the album has a grandiose, synthesized, and psychedelic substance to the production and performances.

The music on Purple Rain is generally regarded as the most pop-oriented of Prince's career, though a number of elements point towards the more experimental records Prince would release after Purple Rain. The album drew some controversy. Network executives thought the sexual nature in the music video for the album's lead single "When Doves Cry" was too explicit for television. The risqué lyrics of "Darling Nikki" also raised complaints from Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center and contributed to the implementation of Parental Advisory stickers and imprints on album covers.

Purple Rain was an enormous success, spending 24 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 200 and being present on the chart for a total of 167 weeks. "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Purple Rain" and "I Would Die 4 U" were top ten hits. A widespread critical success, critics noted the innovation and experimentation on the album, such as the synthesis of electronic elements with organic instrumentation, as well as the consolidation of rock and R&B. By 1996, the album was certified 13× platinum by the RIAA.

Purple Rain is Prince's commercial peak, with total sales standing at 16 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time. Prince and the Revolution received a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year and won the Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media awards. Frequently recognized as one of the greatest albums of all time, Purple Rain was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and added to the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry list of sound recordings that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Background

Following the commercial breakthrough of 1999 (1982), Prince secured a position for renewing his contract with Warner Bros. He told the label they must finance a major motion picture starring himself, with accompanying new songs as its soundtrack, or he would leave the label. Though executives were reluctant, they eventually accepted the offer, approving a $7 million budget for the film. Purple Rain was initially conceived as a double album, but during post-production, Prince decided to make it a single album instead.

Initial production for Purple Rain began in 1983. Prince wrote over 100 songs for the album, selecting nine after deciding which worked best in the context of the film. His backing band, the Revolution, was formally named and expanded in 1983 to include guitarist Wendy Melvoin and keyboardist Lisa Coleman. Rehearsals took place in a warehouse in St. Louis Park, Minneapolis, which served as the project's headquarters.